In the Line of Fire How to Handle Tough Questions -- When It Counts

Answer even the toughest, most hostile questions brilliantly: take the floor, stay poised, and win your audience over every time! Imagine: you’re standing in front of an audience and you've just been asked the question you'd been dreading — or, worse, you've been blindsided with a brutal question you never expected. What to do? Jerry Weissman has made a career of preparing executives for that moment. He's coached nearly 500 executives on their IPO road shows, the most critical presentations of their lives. Weissman’s In the Line of Fire has established itself as the world’s definitive guide to answering brutally tough questions in public — and now, he’s completely updated this classic with new examples, case studies, and even more great advice. Using compelling, up-to-the-minute examples from Wall Street, Washington, D.C., and beyond, Weissman teaches how to respond with perfect assurance, no matter what. You’ll discover how to avoid the defensive, evasive, or contentious answers that have destroyed political careers and can ruin your credibility. Weissman shows you how to control your entire exchange with a hostile questioner: the question, answer, interactions with questioner and audience, timing, and above all, yourself. Whether you're an executive, politician, fundraiser, interviewee, teacher, student — or even a family member at Thanksgiving dinner — you're judged on how you handle these moments. Get this book: handle them brilliantly.

JERRY WEISSMAN (Burlingame, CA), the world's #1 corporate presentations consultant, is known worldwide for his confidential executive coaching sessions. Weissman's private client list includes the top brass at Yahoo!, Intuit, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, and many others. His techniques have helped nearly 400 client firms hone persuasive IPO road show presentations that have raised hundreds of billions of dollars in the stock market; and have helped hundreds of other public and pre-public firms develop and deliver crucial business presentations. He is president of Power Presentations, Ltd., and author of the best-sellers Presentations in Action, Presenting to Win, and Winning Strategies for Power Presentations.

Introduction: Agility versus Force

1. The Critical Dynamics of Q&A

2. Effective Management

3. You’re Not Listening!

4. Active Listening

5. Retake the Floor

Case Study. Colin Powell

6. Provide the Answer

7. Topspin in Action

8. Preparation

9. The Art of War

10. The Role Model

 

Jerry Weissman’s legendary guide to answering even the most brutally tough questions in public, and winning over any audience – now completely updated with new examples, case studies, and more!